George Clooney: Skinny-Dipping at My Italian Villa Is Tradition

When met at the 'Ides of March' premiere in New York City, George addresses Marisa Tomei's recent revelation about them swimming naked with the cast in Lake Como.

Photo credit: Andres Otero/WENN

Skinny-dipping in Lake Como is apparently a tradition at George Clooney's Italian villa. The "Up in the Air" star gushed about it when met at the New York City premiere of "The Ides of March" on Wednesday, October 5, and asked about Marisa Tomei's claim that she and the cast went swimming in the buff at his retreat.

"It's a tradition at my house," the 50-year-old told New York Magazine's Vulture. "Charlie Rose, let me tell you - first we got Walter Cronkite to jump in, then I got David Gergen to jump in. I used Walter Cronkite to get Gergen to jump in, and then I used Marisa [Tomei] and Evan [Rachel Wood] in the lake to get Charlie Rose to jump."

Though he seemed to confirm Marisa's story with the remark, the Danny Ocean in the "Ocean's Eleven" series, however, was quick to clarify that not all of them were naked. "But really, no, we weren't skinny-dipping," he said. "Some people do skinny-dip, but it's funnier if I go upstairs and put a suit on, and then I jump in the lake."

Marisa recounted the time she skinny-dipped at George's home in Italy during a recent appearance on "CONAN". The 46-year-old told host Conan O'Brien that she and her co-stars "would up all skinny dipping" after George told them that Walter Cronkite jumped in the lake on the second night he stayed at the Hollywood hunk's place.

"George said, 'Walter Cronkite was here, when Cronkite was here he jumped in the lake! And he did it on the second night," she recalled. "Now, we're here on the first night, we're having wine, we're having a beautiful dinner.' So, he throws the gauntlet down. 'Are you guys going to jump in the lake on the first night? Are you gonna top Cronkite?' "

"[Cronkite] jumped in in full tux," the "Crazy, Stupid, Love." actress went on to share. "So, the only way too really top that was to go the whole other way!"